The Worst Valentine's Day Ever
by M M Forever
Summary: Mimi has tried for the past few years to make the perfect Valentine's day gift for her boyfriend. Note the word "tried". Will she manage it this year, or will the whole day end up in disaster? Please, please R&R, it's all done! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon, but Mark is mine, I suppose... as well as the plot. Feel free to take Mark, who will show up second chapter, but the plot is mine:)

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The Worst Valentine's Day Ever 

It was the day of the year that Mimi both looked forward to yet hated the most, and this year had promised to be no exception. In fact, everything the night before had led her to believe that this was going to be the worst one yet. Sora had come over to her house the night before it with Kari, helping to teach the younger female how to make homemade chocolates and cookies. The three had giggled as they decorated the cookies and packaged the chocolates in boxes that they had bought and decorated early that day. Each of them had given them their own specific flair and elegance. Kari's had turned out beautiful, and Sora's had been just as good.

Mimi's cookies had burned on the bottom, and the chocolate had yet, as of 2am, to harden into the small hearts she'd tried to shape them in.…

It wasn't entirely her fault this time, as she'd been distracted by her cell phone accidentally slipping into the melted chocolate, but she still knew that it wouldn't be good enough. Every year she had tried to get it right, but for whatever reason and no matter it be cookies or chocolates, something never was quite right. The year before, the chocolate had developed a slight burnt taste. The year before that, the cookies had been hard on the outside and still not cooked in the middle. And the year before that… well, let's just say that unexpected downpours on the way to school make soggy cookies…

She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. It was just barely light out, and so she nearly shut her eyes again before remembering the chocolates. Grabbing her robe from the hook next to her bed with one arm, she quickly stripped off the covers of her bed and wrapped the thick, pink robe around her for warmth. She tied it quickly, slipping on her pink slippers and stepping over the sleeping forms of Sora and Kari to head out of her room. She opened it quietly, trying her best not to disturb the two from their well-deserved sleep.

Down the stairs she crept, fearful with each step that the floorboards might creak and wake someone, but not a sound could be heard except for her soft breathing. She reached the bottom and tiptoed into the kitchen, nearly crashing into the small table just outside in the hallway. Half-dreading what she would find when she turned on the light, she closed her eyes and flicked the switch. Deeming it to be safe, as nothing had blown up or started talking, she opened her eyes. There lay the half-hardened blobs of chocolate on the tray, where she'd left them the night before.

She had to face the reality this time: this year, just like all the other years, her attempts were going to end up in the trash bin after a single bite of either… if she was lucky enough to even win a single bite with that terrible mess, that is. Timidly, she reached out, took a piece of chocolate, and moved it past her lips.

She gagged and spit it out. Something in it didn't taste right, and it was quite possibly the cell phone flavoring she'd unintentionally added. She moved to the trash, debating whether to spare herself the embarrassment she knew she would face. But somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice told her to give them to him any way; that he would appreciate the thought, at least. Besides, what would Mark say when she came to school with nothing to give him? What kind of girlfriend didn't give her boyfriend something on Valentine's Day?

'The one who loses a boyfriend on Valentine's Day,' she thought dryly. She sighed, reaching for one of the heart-shaped boxes she'd decorated the night before.

It was a heavy heart that the exhausted brunette wrapped up her cookies and chocolates into two small boxes with gentle care. She trudged upstairs, went inside her room and flopped onto her bed, unsure if she wanted to wake back up in a few hours.

She did, of course, but only after being hit over the head by Kari, and with Sora screaming in her ear. She groaned, grabbed the pillow from Kari's hands and shoved it on top of her head, burying herself deeper into the bed. Five minutes later she was grabbed by the ankles and dragged kicking and screaming, literally, out of bed by the pair.

"I don't want to go to school!" Mimi cried as she tried to get past Sora, who stood in the way. "Today is going to be horrible!"

"Oh Mimi, you know it won't be, so stop complaining, get up, and get ready for school!" Sora said, exasperated at her best friend's behavior. "Come on, we're going to be late if you don't get going."

"Fine," she grumbled, stumbling to her closet for her clothes.

Twenty minutes later, the three were headed out the door and down the road towards school. They talked about the tests and homework they had due that day, about the boys they liked, and made bets on who would end up getting the most Valentine's gifts. It was then, right when they were nearly halfway there, when Mimi let out a terrible shriek of realization.

"My cookies and chocolate! I left them at home!"

Spinning around, she started to run back towards home, leaving the two girls behind. Unsure of what to do, Sora and Kari glanced at each other.

"Should we follow her?" Sora questioned.

"What, and be late too?" Kari pointed out. The two of them kept walking towards school, hoping that their absent-minded friend would manage to make it before the second bell. They rounded the corner and walked into the schoolyard just as the warning bell struck, and they exchanged worried looks before heading off to their homerooms.

Meanwhile, Mimi was frantically running towards the school, the boxes of goodies in her hand. She'd be late if she didn't hurry, she just knew it. She rounded a corner, and slipped on a patch of black ice that had apparently formed overnight. Falling back with a shriek, she tried to break her fall with her hands. Unfortunately, this included the hand holding the Valentine's Day treats, and she cringed at the sound of the box crunching beneath her and was totally unprepared for the back of her head hitting the sidewalk.

She struggled to get up, suddenly feeling a little woozy from the fall. She reached back behind her to feel a lump growing where her head had collided with the cement, and she winced. It was sore to the touch, and she could only imagine how big that lump was going to get if she didn't get some attention for it. Suddenly remembering why she was running in the first place, she scampered up, grabbing the smashed and battered boxes before taking off again. She rounded the final corner and sprinted into the playground just as the second bell rang, and she cursed her luck, knowing she'd have made it had she not fallen.

Mimi burst through the front doors and scampered to her locker. She opened it to stuff her boxes inside, and noticed the pile of notes piled onto her books. She didn't take the time to read them or even pick them up, rather simply pushed them onto the floor and slammed the breaking boxes down where they had been. Grabbing her book, notebook and pencil, she took off towards her first class. She tried to sneak in without having the teacher notice, but apparently luck was, yet again, against her.

"Ms. Tachikawa, how nice of you to join us," he said dryly as she settled into her seat. "In fact, why don't you plan on joining me for detention after school as well."

Mimi let her head fall to the desk in defeat.

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I'll have to do this in two parts, due to my time restraint here at work, but don't fret, I'll post the second half before Thursday, I promise! Please R&R! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon, but Mark is mine, I suppose... as well as the plot. Feel free to take Mark, but the plot is mine:)

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It wasn't until lunchtime that Mimi was able to sneak away from the general population and head down to the nurse's office without attracting too much attention. She'd struggled to pay attention all morning to the teacher's pointless rambling about this silly and boring book that they'd been reading for over a week now. Actually, Mimi hadn't gotten beyond the third chapter yet, as she found herself too distracted to want to read about some farming family during the Great Depression in the United States of America. Yes, her father was talking about moving to America, but who cared about something so dull as a stupid turtle crossing a road?

Opening the door and shutting it behind her quietly, Mimi entered the health office tentatively, hoping that the one scary nurse with the huge mole on her nose wasn't in today. No such luck, as somehow the woman had heard her and looked up from another kid at the end of the room. Handing the young boy a band-aid, she shooed him out of her office before rounding on Mimi, who by this point had backed up into a corner in fear. Something about that mole on her nose didn't look right, and it creeped her out to the point she found herself involuntarily shuddering slightly.

Mistaking the shivering for being cold, the nurse snatched a blanket and threw it over her, pushing her down on one of the chairs. Mimi gave a muffled yelp as she hit the chair hard. Moving the blanket away from her face, she quickly described what had happened, wanting to escape as soon as possible, and the nurse nodded, reaching into the small mini-freezer and pulling out an ice pack. She wrapped it to her head with a cloth bandage, and was about to ask her a question before the door opened a boy about Mimi's age came toppling into the room, crawled a few feet towards a waste basket against the wall, and then proceeded to toss up his lunch all over floor. The smell was terrible, and Mimi tried to hold her breath, but found herself light-headed. Tisking, the nurse hurried away to help, leaving Mimi in a half-daze in her chair, wondering when she could get up and leave. When the nurse had her back turned, Mimi stood and tried to scoot around the two without being noticed, but she didn't even get a chance to touch the door handle before she was firmly escorted back to her seat.

Mimi sat in her seat quietly, desperately trying to ignore the smell and looking around the office for some sort of spray to get rid of the barf stench that she feared was soaking into her clothing. It was then that she noticed the mirror on the wall, and she glanced at her own reflection, flinching. The cloth wrapping that the nurse had used to hold the ice pack in place made her look like she was wearing a Bavarian cream-colored turban, which clashed horribly with her pink and red outfit. The nurse somehow managed to see her flinching, and used a free hand to take a purple sucker out of her coat pocket and toss it to her, though it fell to the floor.

Grape, she realized as she picked up up off the floor. Her absolutely least favorite flavor, and it had to be the one flavor she got. She opened her mouth to ask if she could have a different one, but all she got was an advanced reply of "That's the last one." She tried to leave it on the desk next to her, but the nurse turned around and glared at her with such a look that she quickly tried to take the paper off, gave up, and shoved it into her mouth. She froze like that until the nurse nodded and turned back to the poor soul who was now passed out on the floor.

She gagged slightly, at both the taste and that she hadn't managed to take the wrapper completely off before sticking it in her mouth. Just when she feared things could get no worse, the door opened again, this time producing the one person she absolutely did not want to see right now...

His nose wrinkling at the smell, he looked around the nurse's office quickly before spotting her sitting in the chair with a sour look, the sucker still in her mouth. He chuckled and walked over to her.

"So there you are, Princess... nice turban you're wearing," he commented, a sly grin appearing on his face. Mimi hated that grin; he always wore it when he was in the mood to tease her. He really wasn't all that bad most of the time; actually, he could be downright charming otherwise. But unfortunately for her, he always managed to get into one of those moods when she was in no mood to tolerate it. And today was no exception...

"Go to hell, you jerk."

"What language you use to slander me with! Is that any way to treat a friend on Valentine's day?" he asked her, pretending to be hurt.

"Stop pretending you care," she spat, and he frowned. "And shouldn't you be somewhere, as in, other than here? What did you do, come looking for me just so you could annoy me?" Instead of answering, he jumped to another topic.

"Your boyfriend Mark seemed rather upset that you weren't here early to give him your yearly -cough- disaster -cough- present," he informed her, the wicked grin returning as she scowled.

"Shut up. At least he's getting something from me, unlike you," she retorted. "Besides, it's the-"

"... the thought that counts?" he finished for her, and she nodded. He frowned again, and paused a second to stare into her eyes. A brief look of concern flashed over his face, but it was covered up so quickly that Mimi questioned that it had actually been there. "Hate to break it to you, Princess, but most guys don't think that way. We tend to be selfish, greedy pigs who are just looking to get all of the free things girls like to offer us on Valentine's day... and Mark is certainly no exception."

"Is that a fact?" she fumed. "So then what the hell do you want from me?!" The wicked grin appeared again, and Mimi braced herself for the worst...

"ISHIDA!" the nurse suddenly bellowed, causing the two of them to jump. "If you don't have any illness or ailment for me to cure, then get out!"

"But I only came to tell Mimi that..." he started to interject, but he soon found himself being given the same death glare Mimi had received only minutes before. He shot Mimi a quick, troubled glance that said only too clearly 'I need to talk to you' before leaving. Suddenly perturbed, Mimi got up to follow, but the nurse stopped her.

"But I'm feeling much better now!" she whined, desperate to escape this demon's lair. After a few more minutes of pleading, the nurse removed the bandage and ice pack, letting her go. Mimi dashed out of the room, hoping that she wouldn't change her mind suddenly and drag her back in there. To make matters worse, she didn't see Matt anywhere.

She headed towards the cafeteria in hopes of finding him there, but before getting to far, she saw Mark talking to a girl from his class.

"Hey Mark! Hold on, let me stop by my locker so I can give you your present!" she called to him from down the hall, and he looked up, startled.

"Oh... hey Mimi. Actually, sure, let me go with you." He said good-bye to the girl, and she smiled and nodded before skipping off down the hallway towards the cafeteria.

"Weird girl," Mimi found herself muttering under her breath as she watched her leave.

"Ready to go?" he asked. "I don't have long."

Mimi's locker wasn't very far, and they were soon there. Mimi opened the locker and grabbed the mangled boxes.

"Sorry they're a little beat up; I sort of fell on the way to school this morning."

"You klutz..."

"Pardon?" she asked, not quite sure she'd heard what he'd muttered right.

"I said, it's ok," he mended, and she smiled brightly.

"I hope you like them; I was up all night making them," she told him as he opened the first box and took out a large piece of a crumbled cookie. He shoved the whole thing in his mouth, and then turned pale.

"Oh my GOD, what the hell did you do to them?!" he choked, spitting it out into the box.

"Err... the bottom sort of burned... I'm so, so sorry," she apologized swiftly. He eyed the second box warily, and then seemed to think twice about it. He handed back both boxes to her, and she froze, knowing all too well what was coming next.

"God, and I thought it was just a rumor that your Valentine's Day gifts sucked! Had I known it was true, I wouldn't have gone out with you in the first place!" Mark spat, trying to wipe the taste of burnt cookie from his tongue.

"I... I'm so sorry!" Mimi whimpered. "I tried, I really did..."

"Yeah, well sometimes trying isn't good enough," he fumed. "We're done; I'm going out with someone else anyways..."

"You're _what?!_" she thundered. "You mean you were cheating on me?!"

"Well, I didn't want to take a chance that the rumor was true and end up with nothing today, so yeah, I hooked up with someone last week."

"I... I can't believe..."

"What I can't believe is that you're that bad of a cook..." he spat, before turning away and striding off down the hallway, leaving Mimi holding her boxes, tears streaming down her face as she sank to her knees and sobbed...

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Sorry I didn't get this up sooner, my computer crashed and I had to wait until I was back at school to write and post the second half. And now that I've done it, I've decided to split it up into three parts instead of two:) But here is the second part, nonetheless, so please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon, but the plot is mine... and I guess that Mark is mine too, though I really don't want him... Feel free to take Mark and do whatever the heck you want to him (Except pair him with Mimi, that is), but the plot is mine :)

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Yamato Ishida sighed and leaned against the chilled wall next to the front door of the school. He'd looked for Mimi all day, worried that he wouldn't see her before she ran into Mark. Normally it wasn't very difficult to find her, surrounded by her friends, laughing and talking about the latest fashion craze, but every place he looked, he'd found that she was MIA. Well, except for the brief meeting up at the nurses office, that is, which turned into a near disaster... At this point, it was probably going to be too late to warn her that he'd heard a rumor that Mark was cheating on her with another girl, but he still wanted to tell her, just in case she didn't know... He'd ran into Sora in the hallway after lunch, who said that she'd heard that Mimi would be in detention this afternoon for coming in late, but he didn't know if it was true or not. Detention was supposed to get out nearly half an hour ago, and he'd been standing here at the door for almost twice that long, hoping to run into her before she went home, yet she had not emerged from the school yet.

He closed his eyes, soaking in the warm sun that had only now come out of hiding from behind a cloud. He'd hoped that it wouldn't snow, but the weather had become rather unpredictable in the past few years. Scientists claimed it was due to Global Warming, but he knew it was a direct result from the opened portal to the Digital World. While much of the weather had returned to normal in other places in the world, Japan had not, and many of the weather phenomena that occurred were still not typical of the current season. Matt knew it was only a matter of time before people found out why there was occasional snow in July, or a really hot day in the middle of January... and he wasn't looking forward to all of the explaining that he and the gang were going to have to do when that happened.

The door next to him creaked, and he opened his eyes to glance at who had come out. It was Mimi, her head bowed slightly and her books clenched tightly in her arms. She paused outside, knowing that he was there, but she didn't say a word to him. Instead, she simply started to walk away down the stairs, presumably towards her home.

"There you are, I've been looking for you," he told her, but she only lowered her head more and kept walking slowly down the stairs. He stood up and followed her, continuing to talk as he shadowed her movements. "And here I was thinking that you were avoiding me." Mimi stopped suddenly in her tracks at the bottom of the stairs, causing Matt to stumble to a halt just before crashing into her.

"You knew... didn't you..." came Mimi's soft voice. "You knew that Mark was cheating on me."

"..."

"_Didn't you_." she pressed more vehemently, and Matt gulped nervously. Mimi spun around to face him, lifting her eyes to meet his. They were bloodshot and puffy, leaving a tell-tale sign of why she hadn't come out of the school with the rest of the detention kids.

"Well..." he started, but then trailed off at the furious look she gave him as she raised her head to look him in the eyes. "I..."

"You know what?" she told him in a wavering voice, her whole body shaking as she tried to hold back the tears. "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear how you found it more important to tease me when you saw me earlier, rather than just flat out tell me about him. That's what friends do, Matt, they tell each other about things that could hurt them!"

"I know that, Mimi!" he cried, distraught at her accusation. "Don't you think I know that?! That's why I came looking for you!"

"Then why the hell didn't you let me know about him when you found me?! Did you think it would be fine if he hurt me, and that you'd play the part of a good friend and help pick up the pieces?! Is that what I have to expect from you?!" Mimi thundered, the tears starting to well up in her eyes as she continued to vent her anger and frustration at him.

"How can you even say that?!" he yelled back, starting to lose his cool attitude that usually kept him calm and rational. "If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't have come looking for you in the first place! I wouldn't be here waiting for you to talk to! I'd be somewhere else, having a good time, rather than standing here, having to listen to a whiny and self-absorbed brat tell me how I'm not a good friend!"

Matt froze, too late to stop the words that came tumbling from his mouth. Mimi's lower lip began to tremble, and the tears broke through, running down her face in a steady stream.

"Mimi... I..."

"GO TO HELL! I HATE YOU, MATT! I HATE YOU!!" she screamed, and took off across the lawn towards the road her house was on, leaving Matt standing at the door alone in a cold wind that sent chills up his spine.

Mimi kept running and running, not wanting to stop or look back at the jerk who had ruined her day. She didn't stop until she passed the small park down the street from her house, at which point the sky opened up and it started to rain. It was a freezing rain that chilled her to the bone, and she cursed her lack of luck, heading to the small shelter and setting her books down on the table beneath it. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the last remaining box of chocolate and cookies. She paused, wondering if she felt like eating them in hopes of drowning the pain in sweet sugary goodness, but decided against risking upsetting her stomach more than it already was. Looking around as she clenched the box in her hands tightly, she spied the swingset that she'd played on as a child. She strode out into the rain and sat down on one of the swings, and Mimi wept, not caring if she caught a cold. At this point she figured it was going to happen anyways. Maybe, just maybe, sitting out in the rain would wash away her bad day, or at least her memories of it.

A face surfaced in her mind, and she scowled, letting the tears fall freely upon the cheap red cardboard she was holding. Mimi found herself furious with him on so many levels, to the point where she didn't know if she wanted to speak to him ever again. And he'd deserve it too, there was no doubt in her mind about that. How could it be that someone who had the crest of Friendship could so thourogh destroy any trust she had in their friendship? Sora would probably back her up on this too. The anger inside of her boiled up as the tears began to fall and mingle with the rain. She remembered how he had teased her in the nurses office, and she wondered what she had ever seen in him that had made her want to be friends with him. This time, Yamato Ishida had gone one step too far... and he was going to get what he deserved, she would make sure of it.

Mimi heard the swing creak slightly above her, and then the next she knew, she was sitting in the mud, the swing lying broken underneath her. She looked up to the heavens and cried out, the sob catching in her throat at the thought of her newest outfit being caked in mud. Just as she thought that she'd finally hit the bottom, she heard a girl playfully shrieking from the road. She looked up just in time to see both Mark and another girl, the girl she had seen him with earlier, running by, trying to get out of the icy rain. She lay down in the mud and freezing rain, completely and utterly defeated, clutching onto her crushed Valentine's Day gift that had only been the beginning of it all... This was by far the worst Valentine's day ever, and nothing was going to make it better... nothing... Slowly she found herself drifting in and out of consciousness...

How long she lay there in the mud she did not know; it seemed like eternity to her broken heart and she struggled to entertain a single thought on anything else. She was shaking now, her body desperately trying to create heat to warm her freezing body, but she found that she didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore, not now that she'd lost the one person that she thought she'd always have, the one she'd taken for granted... And the more that she wanted to blame him for what had happened that day, the more she realized that it had been her own fault. SHE had been the one to yell and scream at him, provoking him to the point where he'd finally snapped at her. And yet now... now that she was as low as the mud, she began to realize just what a fool she had been. She loved him, plain and simple. Actually, the more she thought about it, the more she was sure that she had ALWAYS loved him. But somewhere in her routines and daily life, she'd simply pushed her feelings for him away, unwilling to think for a second that she had fallen for someone who liked nothing more than to tease and make fun of her. Her, the "princess" as he liked to call her, in love with Matt Ishida? The idea had sounded so absurd that she'd simply brushed it aside... yet things looked different from down in the mud. Her will hardened, and her resolve to be sincere about her feelings for him strengthened her heart.

Her body trembling, Mimi struggled to raise her head out of the mud, but found after a few attempts that she could not. Panic struck her like a bolt of lightning and she grew afraid that she would never again move from this spot. She'd always feared death, and this was no exception. She cried out to the world around her, but her sound barely passed from behind her lips. She was cold, frightened, and weak; there was no way that anyone could hear her in her condition, no matter how much she called out. She could no longer shed any tears, so the sky continued to weep for her and her impending doom. Mimi closed her eyes, letting the rain wash over her as it fell, along with any hope that she had of being found. If only she hadn't been so stupid... she only hoped that maybe Matt would find it in his heart to forgive her... once she was gone...

She could feel herself being lifted up and pressed against something soft and warm, but she couldn't open her eyes to see anything. She felt so cold... like snowman on a frigid morning just before the sun came up. The mangled and muddy box she had been clutching was pried out of her stiff hands and Mimi parted her lips in protest, but she could feel herself being carried off somewhere at a rather brisk pace... 'Is this dying?' she wondered. 'Has someone come to take me away to the beyond?' She could feel herself losing conciousness, her body going limp, when she could have sworn that she'd heard a voice that she almost could name calling out to her... calling her name, so gently and softly...

"Mimi... come on Mimi, hang in there... Please Mimi...for me..."

Mimi lay against the warmth, completely confused. Why would someone taking her to the beyond tell her to hold on? This was the last thought she entertained before she blacked out, her body suddenly surrounded in a rush of warm air.

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Here's the long-awaited third part. I have not made up my mind whether I was going to have this be a Mimato friendship piece, a Mimato romance, or simply a one-sided Mimato with Matt screwing up his chance with Mimi, or vice versa... or just simply due to the fact that Mimi may or may not live... so yet again, I'm branching it off into another chapter. To be frank, it really depended on what happens this upcoming week and weekend to me personally, so I honestly don't know which one I'm going to end up doing... I HAVE been in a really angsty mood as of late... Well, now that this part is done, please remember to review! And that includes all you people who don't have an account too, as I've allowed anonymous reviews. Who knows, maybe what you say to me in your review will help me shape my last chapter. :)


	4. Chapter 4

M&M Forever: Hi everyone. Yeah, as you can see, it's been almost a full year since I started this story. I hadn't really made up my mind until today, and before then it just didn't seem right to finish this up until Valentine's Day. Really, who wants to hear about a V-day story in July? Also, it dawned on me as I was typing this up that this is the 4th chapter, which also makes the fact that I was stumped on this chapter that much more ironic because I've always been either blessed or cursed by the number 4. Oh, and I would like to dedicate this final chapter to my best friend and own personal prince charming, Joshu, who is currently off at Officer Training camp to become an officer in the Marine Corp. Thank you, my love, for being my muse and inspiration, as well as believing in me and my ability to write again. And of course, a huge thank you to all of you, my faithful readers!

Well…so here it is, without any further ado, the last chapter of "The Worst Valentine's Day Ever." I promise. Just… don't kill me for what happens, ok? -runs away cringing-

Don't own Digimon, but the plot is mine... and I guess that Mark is mine too, though I've really come to hate that cheating son of a…..err… yeah... Feel free to take Mark and do whatever the heck you want to him: kick him where the sun doesn't shine, pair him with Jun or better yet, Michael, whatever. (Except pair him with Mimi, that is…)

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Slowly, a pair of chocolate colored eyes peeled open, their owner weak and weary. Struggling with the effort to comprehend what she was seeing, it took a while for Mimi to realize that she was awake and lying in her bed. A million and one questions ran through her mind as she struggled to sit up. Was it really morning already? And why was she so tired if she'd just been asleep? Looking outside, she noticed that it was now quite dark out, perhaps even darker than it was in her room. A quick glance at her alarm clock to her right told her that the time was now 11:40pm. Wait, that wasn't right…wasn't she just at school? What was she doing in her bed here at home? Where had the time gone?

Her memories came flooding back like the tide, and she suddenly remembered the incident at school that had ruined everything. She scrambled to get out of bed but found herself so weak that she simply got caught up in her sheets and accidentally dove face-first into the carpet with a loud thud.

'Oww…' she thought to herself, reaching up to rub her sore nose. She could hear footsteps outside of her room and someone knocked on the door.

"Mimi, dear, are you awake?" she heard her mother call. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Yes mom, I'm fine," she responded, crawling back into bed as best she could just as the door opened. Mrs. Tachikawa stuck her head in the room, the light from the hallway spilling into her dark room.

"Are you sure you're alright dear? You were nearly unconscious when your boyfriend brought you home and we almost called for an ambulance. Your father and I were really worried about you! I'm so glad that your boyfriend is such a responsible guy and can be trusted to look out for you!"

Mimi stared at her mother in confusion. Mark? Mark had found her and brought her home? But… then the voice that she'd heard… how could he be so cruel towards her one minute but then save her life the next? It just didn't make any sense!

The bewilderment must have been present on her face, because Ms. Tachikawa seemed flustered. "I-I thought he was your boyfriend…" she said softly, but Mimi wanted a better answer than that.

"…What was his name? Was it Mark?" she hissed, nearly spitting as she said his name.

"No, his name wasn't Mark. It was… oh dear, I can't seem to remember. But he seemed so insistent on making sure you were ok that I told him it was alright for him to stay in here with you. And it looks like he has fallen asleep himself, the poor dear," she said, pointing to Mimi's left. Her eyes widening in fear, she slowly looked to where her mother was pointing. Sure enough, there was just enough light for Mimi to see that there was someone sitting in the large chair, which had been the resting place of several of her larger stuffed animals the night before.

"MOM!" Mimi cried in alarm, her face flushing a deep scarlet red in embarrassment. She scooted away from the silhouette of a sleeping figure in the chair next to her bed, creeped out to the extreme. She looked at him one last time before rounding on her mother as she stood in the doorway. "You let someone stay in my room while I was _sleeping_?!" she hissed quietly. "And you can't even remember their name?! What if he was just some random person who was stalking me and he had done something to me an-"

"I know he's not some random person, Mimi!" her mother exclaimed, trying to keep her voice low, as to not disturb their sleeping guest. "I'm pretty sure that he's one of the ones from that group of friends you hang out with, so I assumed it was okay… and he seemed so nice… and he's rather handsome too…you should go out with him, you two would make such a cute couple!"

"_Mom!_" Mimi exclaimed again, her face turning so red that she put a ripe tomato to shame. Sensing that perhaps that wasn't the right thing to say at that moment, Mrs. Tachikawa blushed slightly, muttered a soft "Sorry…" and ducked out of the line of sight, leaving the door open. Mimi could hear her footsteps as she walked down the staircase, and she sighed. Seriously, what had come over her mother? And what was she trying to do, suggesting that…

A soft, low-pitched groan interrupted her thoughts, and Mimi suddenly remembered that she wasn't alone. Still freaked out over the thought of having someone she possibly didn't know in her own room, she slowly reached for one of her heavier stuffed animals on her desk. She raised it up over her head, ready to bring it crashing down if she heard even the slightest hint noise that made her believe he was awake.

"Mimi?" a soft voice whispered from the shadows, and she swung down towards the sound with all her might.

"OWW!" came the shocked reply. Apparently her _stalker_ hadn't been able to see that she had been armed… Mimi wrenched the stuffed animal away and hit him again and again. "Mimi, stop it! OWW! That hurts! … MIMI!"

A hand shot out and caught her wrist as it brought the toy towards him again. His grip was strong and did not wavier, even when she tried to wrench her arm free. Terrified, she opened her mouth to scream for her mother.

"MMMMMMMM!!!"

The other hand had shot out and covered her mouth just in time to prevent her to make a loud enough sound to alert her mother. Mimi squirmed as much as she could in her condition, trying her best to escape from her captor, but it was to no avail. She heard him shift his weight closer to her, and she opened her mouth just enough to take a small nip at his hand.

"OWW!" the voice cried again, this time sounding more angry than before. Still, he continued to lean forward until Mimi could feel his breath on her ear. She shivered. "Now Mimi…" he fumed, obviously furious at her. "I want you to turn on the light by your bed, the one that's to my right. And don't try to bite me again, do you hear?!"

Not knowing what else to do, she reached out with her left hand and found the chain to the floor lamp. She gave it a small tug, and suddenly light flooded the area, giving her a clear look at the person she had been attacking only moments before. Her eyes widened in surprise at the angry tide of the blue ocean that was nearly glaring at her.

"YMMMDMM?"

Matt sighed heavily, releasing both the grip on her wrist and over her mouth. He held his right hand under the light, examining the faint teeth marks on his palm.

"Seriously Mimi, first you attack me with a plushie, and then you go and _bite_ me?" he whined, half serious, half teasing. "What the hell has gotten into you lately?"

"Sorry," she muttered, looking down at the stuffed animal she had brought down to rest in her lap. "I didn't know who was there and I got scared."

Matt sighed again and brought his hands to rest atop of hers gently. She tensed and nearly pulled her hands away, but after a moment the slight weight of his hands against hers calmed her and gave her a strange sense of peace. "I guess that's my fault." Matt muttered loud enough for her to hear. "I should have thought about that when I asked your mom if I could wait around and make sure you were okay. It's just… you… you really had me worried for a while…"

Mimi continued to stare at the pink bear in her hands, unable to look him in the eyes again. She could feel the heat rising in her face as she felt his eyes on her. Unsure of what to say, she made no reply, except to simply nod at his words.

"Mimi…" Matt began again. "About earlier… I…" He clammed up, unable to continue. If there was one thing that he could say about himself for certain, it was that he'd never really been very good at apologizing to anyone other than TK, and even that was sometimes a struggle. He cleared his throat to try again, but Mimi interrupted him.

"No Matt, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You were only trying to help me, and I should have seen that." Plucking up some courage, she raised her eyes to meet his. Blue, watery orbs met warm chocolate, and she was lost, swirling around helplessly as she looked for something unsaid, something she felt was lying just below the surface… It wasn't until Matt waved his hand in front of her face that Mimi was aware that he had been speaking.

"Mimi?" Matt asked, tilting his head to one side in confusion. He gently rapped his knuckles against her forehead. "Earth to Mimi? Are you alive in there?"

Mimi nodded, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "Sorry. I guess I sort of spaced out, didn't I. I was just lost in thought…"

"You were _thinking_? Wow, someone call the press, I think we have a miracle here!"

"That wasn't funny, Matt…" Mimi told him, scowling.

"S-sorry…" he stuttered slightly, bowing his head in shame. He didn't want to fight again like they had earlier.

"Now _that_ is press worthy! I can just see the headlines tomorrow: _Yamato Ishida actually apologizes_!" Mimi countered, teasing him as well. Matt's head shot up to look at her.

"Mimi… did you just…make a joke?"

She pursed her lips. "So what if I did? It's not a big deal."

"It's just… I never knew you had a… um… well…"

"A sense of humor? Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're not the only one who can crack 'em."

Matt frowned, completely taken back by the sudden turn in events. How had he not realize that she had the same wit and humor that he did? What else did he not know about his friend, what else was she keeping a secret from him? And why had it taken her so long to let him see this side of her, why hadn't she responded to him all those times before?

She must have read his mind, because she responded, "But just because I can make jokes doesn't mean that I will… and that's the main difference between your humor and mine."

It was like a slap in the face for him, and he nearly stood up and walked out on her. But the more Matt thought about it, the more he could see where she was coming from. He hadn't exactly been the best about knowing when to stop teasing her, and it was obvious from their conversation after school that he had gone too far that time.

"Meems, I…I'm sorry about teasing you… I guess I just didn't realize just how much it bothered you…"

"...What did you say?"

"I… I said I'm sorry for teasing you, an-"

"No, no, before that…" she interrupted, a twinge of pink appearing below her eyes. "What did you call me?" Matt blushed, realizing what he said, and repeated the name. She smiled softly and nodded.

"Meems… I like it… will…will you call me that from now on?"

"Sure, if that's what you want," Matt said, trying to act cool, but inside his stomach was doing flips and his head was spinning.

"I'd love it…" she whispered, sending a shiver up his spine. Why was he so nervous? It was just Mimi. It wasn't like he had a crush on her or anything…

He froze, and the color drained out of his face. A crush? Did he have a crush on his friend Mimi? Was that what was going on? He'd never been one to pay close attention to his feelings, so he didn't quite know what to make of this one.

"Matt? Are you okay? You just got really pale all of a sudden?" Mimi asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it."

Mimi paused, unsure whether to pursue his claim or not. "Are you sure you're alright?" she pressed.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't go worrying your pretty head about me, I'm not worth it."

"Yes, you are Matt! Please don't put yourself down like that! You are totally worth it! You're smart, funny, and very loyal. And to be completely honest, Matt, I think that's why I fell for you."

That last sentence hung in the air for nearly half a minute before the two of them realized what had just been said. Mimi froze, her eyes going wide as she realized what she had just admitted to him so casually. She was positively horrorstruck at her own daring, and she feared to see what Matt's reaction was going to be. She watched in panic as he stood quickly, stumbling over his own words.

"I… uh… just realized how late it was and that I didn't let my dad know where I was… yeah… I have to go… my dad's probably wondering where I am, and I don't want him to worry about me." Matt said nervously as he made his way away from her bedside and towards her bedroom door.

"MATT!"

He'd nearly reached the door when Mimi's pitiful cry of dismay reached his ears and he froze, unable to continue. Something about how she'd just said his name reached inside of his body and twisted his heart so much that he could barely stand to hear it, but he was terrified. Yes. He, Yamato "Matt" Ishida, was terrified out of his mind. Of what, he didn't rightly know, but something about what she had just confessed frightened him to the point where he no longer was sure he wanted to be there.

"Matt… please…" he heard her whimper. "Don't go… I…I need you to tell me… do you… do you like me, Yamato?"

He paused, unsure of what to tell her. Hell, he wasn't even sure of what to tell himself! He could hear the words bubbling up on instinct, and they were out before he could stop them.

"No. I don't like you."

His heart nearly shattered at what he heard next, the guilt becoming almost too much to bear. He would not turn around. He _could_ not turn around. A small sniffle, a clearing of the throat, the choking back of a sob. Each little sound was like a death knell to his heart. But fear kept him from saying anything else as he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

His ears were ringing as he walked down the staircase, and he almost didn't hear his name being called until he nearly walked right into the speaker himself.

"Uh…hello Mr. Tachikawa," Matt said nervously, but he was quickly swept up in a hug from Mimi's very grateful father.

"Oh, thank you, Yamato! Thank you so much for saving my little princess! You have no idea how much that means to me! My wife called me at work and told me the whole story, and I just had to come home and thank you myself before you took off for home."

"It was nothing sir. Just helping out a friend," he replied, trying to push away the nagging voice in the back of his head that was telling him how 'non-friend like' he had just acted moments before.

"Mimi really is something special, don't you think?" Keisuke asked him, still gushing about his daughter. Matt nodded, wanting to get out of the house as soon as he could. He bid Mr. Tachikawa a rather hasty good night and stepped outside into the cold night air. He made it as far as the sidewalk before his nagging conscience made him pause.

"Yeah, she really is…" Matt whispered to himself, looking up at Mimi's lit room. "I'm sorry Mimi… I…" he turned to walk away a second time, putting his hands in pockets. Something didn't feel right. Again he paused. He stood there for a few minutes in thought. Looking back up at Mimi's window, he suddenly realized what was wrong. He sighed, silently cursing his luck as he made his way back to the Tachikawa house. Taking in a deep breath to settle him, he knocked. He waited a few moments and was about to walk away when the door opened, revealing a surprised Keisuke.

"I'm sorry to bother you again, Mr. Tachikawa, but I sort of forgot something important…"

Meanwhile, Mimi was lying down in her bed, bawling her eyes out into her pink pillows. "This is the absolutely worst Valentine's Day ever!" she sobbed. Glancing up at her alarm clock, she saw that it was, in fact, now shortly after midnight. "Ok, so _yesterday_ was the worst Valentine's Day ever!" she corrected herself harshly before continuing her bitter train of thought. "But that still doesn't change the fact that it was the worst day of my life!"

There was a soft knock at the door, and Mimi tried her best to quell her tears. "Come in," she managed to choke out somehow, her voice sounding raspy and shrill.

The door opened, but it was the last person Mimi wanted to see standing in her doorway at the moment. She opened her mouth to say something foul towards him, something that she knew he undoubtedly deserved, but he held up his hands, trying to show that he meant no harm. She hesitated, but decided not to say anything, not trusting her voice and not wanting to risk alerting her parents that something was wrong. They'd had enough to worry about within the last 24 hours, and Mimi didn't want to make them have to deal with her relationship issues as well.

"Please… just hear me out," he begged. She didn't say anything, and Matt became nervous that she was going to kick him out right then and there. But eventually she just simply nodded. He closed the door behind him again and made his way towards the end of her bed. Not even wanting to look at her when he said his piece, he sat down on the edge of her bed, his back towards her. Matt took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Look, Mimi… You had to notice that despite all of the girls almost throwing themselves at me, I'd never dated any of them. The reason I never did was… well, I was scared. I still am scared. I'm afraid I'm going to get my heart broken by someone who only wanted me for my looks and popularity." Mimi opened her mouth to protest, but Matt continued. "I know that you're not like that, and I know you going to argue with me over that. How I know that, I don't know, but I just do. And that scares me even more." Matt buried his head in his hands, unsure if he could say the next part without falling apart. "Mimi…I'm petrified. I know that I wasn't very nice in telling you what I did before I left… but I was wondering if you could possibly forgive me… That was the wrong way to say it, and I… I won't hold it against you if you hate me for it, but I just wanted to tell you… I'm sorry."

He could hear Mimi still sniffling behind him, and he grew more and more nervous as time went on and she didn't respond. He waited a bit, but soon he couldn't stand the silence any longer. Standing up, he quickly paced around the bed and sat in the chair he'd fallen asleep in next to her. He tried to look in her eyes, but she kept them downcast, unwilling into his bright blue bottomless pools.

"Mimi…" Matt pleaded with her, reaching out and lifting her chin to stare into her chocolate eyes, but she closed them in an attempt to hide her tears. A large tear rolled down her cheek, and he brushed it away with his thumb. Mimi sobbed at his gentle touch, sending more tears cascading down her already tear-streaked face. "Oh, Meems…" Matt whispered, his heart shattering a little more with every sob that wracked her body.

Mimi continued to weep, the sharp pain in her side contrasting severely with the gentle touch of his fingers on her face. There was so much pain, so much despair, that she didn't even know what to do anymore. She wished that he would just leave, leave her alone to suffer alone. Yet still, she didn't want him to leave her. The catch 22 of love finally overwhelmed her, and broke down completely, leaving Matt feeling completely and utterly helpless. Mimi opened her eyes and stared into his, hoping to find some ounce of comfort in him, even if he was the one causing the pain. She found none.

Matt, however, had a long look into her soul and saw just how much she had been hurt over the past 24 hours. First Mark, then him… He had feelings for her and yet he _still_ had crushed her. He was no better than Mark, if not worse, he realized, and it was really because of him that his good friend was weeping… someone he loved deeply…

It was in that moment, of seeing Mimi's fighting and willful spirit destroyed, that Matt felt the fear leave him. It was a strange feeling, having nothing left holding him back, but he didn't let that stop him. There wasn't even a hint of hesitation in him as he wrapped the person he loved in a gentle, yet firm embrace.

The suddenness of his action that caused Mimi to freeze, unable to move. Her tears slowed, and Matt took this opportunity to gently kiss her remaining tears away as they fell.

"Matt… what are you do-" Mimi started to ask him, but he slid his lips over hers to quell her protests. At first she didn't know what to do, but after a few moments of realizing that she wasn't dreaming, she began to kiss back. Slowly at first, but then the kisses became more passionate and demanding until the two of them didn't have another breath in them to keep going.

"Mimi…" he panted, trying to catch his breath. "I don't like you. I _love_ you. I think I have for a while now, but I… I've just been too scared to admit it."

"Really?" she breathed, struggling to regain her composure. "Me too… I think I was just dating other people to get my mind off the possibility of me loving you… but I didn't realize it until I was lying in the mud this… no, yesterday afternoon…" Matt slid his hands up to her shoulders and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Meems… I know Valentine's Day technically ended…" he glanced at her clock. "…almost 20 minutes ago, and there really isn't anything I can do about yesterday… but… will you be my Valentine and celebrate Valentine's Day with me today?"

Mimi smiled one of the brightest smiles Matt had ever seen.. "Of course. And it will be the Best Valentine's Day Ever."

* * *

M&M Forever: Well, that's it! I bet I had you all going there for a while, about how I was going to have Matt break her heart, even though he loved her... ;) Oh yeah, I can play evil when I want to. So... now that this is done, I expect LOTS of reviews, as well as candy and/or chocolate chip cookies. Just nothing with anise/black licorice, I'm allergic to it. And maybe you will see something in return... Hey, it's all in the spirit of Valentine's Day, right? -holds out hands expectantly like a little kid- Reviews please? I'll take reviews over candy and goodies any day!

Also, I'd like to thank people who told me about the typo's and the mistakes in prior chapters. Everything should be fixed now, but if you find something, please let me know. :) Thanks.


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